Hi,
I think you can use global data set for extracting predefined values.
Or you can create a keyword like 'apsInitGlobals' where you will initialize required variables and place the keyword at the very beginning of test suite.

If you can use the Store Variable action (on the "Application" component) to work around your problem, all the better. In terms of environment variables, one other thing to be aware of is that they can only be used on the client (ITE) machine - not on the machine where the AUT Agent is running. Perhaps that explains your issue.

Thanks Alex, I did use Store variable action and it works fine. I am trying to use external file in which I am providing Key-Value pairs and I will be using those keys as parameters. Why I am doing this is to make user not to open the testcase and make changes. Hopefully "Using an Excel file as an external data source" should resolve my issue.